Lifestyle Archive: 2001

Several years ago, a farmer on the island Shikoku noticed one of his watermelons had grown between two cinder blocks. The pressure forced it to assume a confined shape, resulting in a rectangular watermelon. Now, farmers are trying to create that effect on purpose. They are growing the fruit in glass boxes, causing it to grow into a cube.Continue...

Mirage, the solar car team's 8th vehicle, is the most technologically-advanced model. It replaces Radiance, a car that year set the Guinness record for the longest distance travelled by a solar car in a single journey when it trekked 7044 from Halifax to Vancouver.Continue...

With an unexpected crash on the first day of racing, the Queen’s Solar Car came close to pulling out of the 2001 American Solar Challenge, but rallied back and finished fourth. Introducing their new car Mirage, the Queen’s Solar Vehicle Team was a favourite to win the cross-country race, which ran from July 15 to 25. Teams from around the world met in Chicago, Ill. and raced for 11 days along 3,600 kilometres, making it the longest solar vehicle race ever.Continue...

Whenever there was a technical glitch with Queen’s brand new three-wheeled super-sleek sunshine cruiser during the American Solar Challenge (ASC), Dave Valletta, Sci ‘02, would be all over the problem.Continue...

This generation is used to ads. Ads for clothing, ads for vitamins—you know the deal. But flip through a magazine and you may be surprised to see an advertisement for vitamins made by the clothing manufacturer Roots.Continue...

Solar fusion is fairly complex. It starts with hydrogen and requires three different steps to create a helium atom. It also requires higher temperature and pressure than is currently viable in man-made fusion reactors. The deuterium-tritium reaction is the best way to create fusion under laboratory conditions. This reaction is over one million times easier to initiate than the hydrogen-hydrogen reaction that takes place in the sun’s core.Continue...

At some point, you made the decision to stay in Kingston for the summer. You’d find a job, no problem. If, now that we’re well into the summer, you’re regretting that decision—don’t despair. There are several resources within walking distance to help you find a new job.Continue...

The running battle between McDonald’s Restaurants and labour activists flared up in Montreal this past month, following the announcement that the newly unionized McDonald’s outlet on Peel Street would be shut down by the end of August ...Continue...

Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs says it will change the way cities are designed. Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos says it's a "product so revolutionary, you'll have no problem selling it." The two are among a handful who have actually seen "IT".Continue...